First, what?s in common?
Wavefront LASIK (also called Custom LASIK), and traditional LASIK both:
? Use an excimer laser
? Create a tiny flap on the corneal surface to expose the underlying tissue to be worked on
? Modify the shape of the cornea by vaporizing tiny pieces that were impairing your vision
? Are extremely precise
Advantages of Wavefront (Custom) LASIK It provides particularly precise information on how your vision is impaired. Custom LASIK measures each eye with a special laser, using wavefront technology, and creates a 3-D map of the eye. This is translated by the Wavefront system into mathematical information that?s used to guide the laser in correcting the problems. Two types of vision problems

1. Lower order aberrations ? nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. These are refractive errors and are correctable by traditional LASIK surgery.

2. Higher order aberrations (HOA) ? halos around lights, impaired night vision, starbursts etc. These are not refractive errors and not correctable by traditional LASIK, but can be measured and corrected by Wavefront LASIK. The HOAs are sometimes created by traditional LASIK, and although there are still some who argue that Wavefront LASIK can also create them, most refractive surgeons agree that it?s much less likely to create them than traditional LASIK. About 75% of refractive surgeons now use Custom LASIK. Amount vs. quality of vision Amount ? A person with 20/20 vision is said to have perfect eyesight. That?s an assessment of the person?s AMOUNT of vision, or how MUCH he sees. Impairment of our amount of vision is brought about by lower order aberrations. Quality ? How WELL we see is determined by the presence or absense of higher order aberrations. So if we have impaired contrast sensitivity and can?t see very well at night, or we have glare and halos around lights, these defects can be both measured and treated by Wavefront LASIK. The Wavefront LASIK procedure
? The eye surgeon sends a light ray into your eye
? The light is reflected back off the retina (interior surface of the back of the eye, like the film in a camera) to the Wavefront system
? The system arranges this modified light into a pattern of all your vision aberrations, lower and higher
? It displays this pattern on its computer monitor as a 3-D map of each eye, the wavefront map
? When your eye surgeon applies the laser treatment to your eyes, he uses this same information to guide the laser.

Unique to you This all results in a vision remedy that?s unique to you. Unlike glasses and contact lenses, which are remedies that come according to prescriptions that millions of other people also have, this treatment is entirely customized. That?s another way of saying that it?s extremely precise, so precise that nobody else would benefit from it. They?d all have their own 3-D maps. Pre-testing with traditional LASIK Before traditional LASIK, there are also tests done to pinpoint the corneal problems. They?re done using a variety of devices which each give a different kind of information. For example:
? The photopter ? you look through various pairs of lenses and tell the eye doctor which set gives you the best clarity
? The corneal topographer ? collects reflected infra-red light from your eyes and creates a digital map of each eye
? Fluoracaine or some similar dye ? stains the corneal surface so that your eye doctor can see more clearly where the irregularities are

These tests give a lot of information, but not to the precise detail of the wavefront technology. They also take longer. Wavefront diagnostic

If you?re considering a LASIK procedure, whether LASEK, PRK, or Epi-Lasik, or traditional LASIK, you can have a wavefront diagnostic done first. This will indicate the severity of any HOAs you may have. This information in turn will guide your eye surgeon in recommending the best procedure for you.

When shopping for a LASIK surgeon, the cost should not be your first question. Why not? Well, surprisingly low quotes will almost certainly turn out to be higher, and if they don?t you can assume that cheap or outdated equipment was used, and/or shortcuts taken. A reliable and competent LASIK surgeon must invest in expensive equipment in order to deliver the best results for you. Besides that, you have one pair of eyes to last for life; don?t you want to give them the best treatment there is?

Here are the most important questions to ask your prospective LASIK surgeons (and yes, you should interview several before deciding on one).

Will you be doing the entire process yourself?

You don?t want to be shuffled off to an assistant, or someone in training. It?s best to have your chosen doctor be the one who examines you to begin with, decides on the treatment plan, does the LASIK procedure, and follows up with you afterwards. That way you know you?ll be in consistently good hands.

How many LASIK procedures have you performed?

The answer to listen for is a number over 500, and preferably over 1,000. LASIK surgeons use computers to guide the laser beam, but who programs the computer? You want someone with plenty of experience at creating treatment plans, carrying them out, witnessing the results, and dealing with any problems that might have arisen. If you know the name of the particular type of LASIK procedure you?ll be having, ask how many times the surgeon has performed that specific procedure.

Where did you receive your training?

There are many tertiary institutions which train doctors in how to do LASIK. You could contact the relevant institution to ask about the surgeon?s academic career and performance.

Can you give me some references?

Most established LASIK surgeons can put you in touch with some of their previous patients, who will tell you about their experience and results.

What professional associations do you belong to?

A doctor who has several professional memberships is more likely to be keeping up to date and in touch with his or her peers. It?s best to have a LASIK surgeon who is enthusiastic enough about his work to pay for those memberships, to go to professional events, possibly take advanced or specialized training, and maybe even write journal articles or books about LASIK vision correction surgery.

If I have questions as we go, will you have time to answer them?

All doctors are busy people, but an organized and responsible doctor will have time to spend with you, to answer questions, calm fears, explain procedures, and clarify details. If you choose a LASIK surgeon who inspires your confidence, you can be calmer about the whole procedure, and will most likely follow his instructions at each step of the way, which will be to your benefit.

What is the name of the equipment you use?

You may not recognize the names, but write them down and do a little research afterwards. Get the full names, not just the company name, because there are often improved models developed and you wouldn?t want a surgeon who is still using old equipment when precision is the name of the game in eye surgery.

What sort of follow-up will there be?

There should be a minimum of four follow-up visits so the surgeon can check on your vision improvement. Ask if this same surgeon will do your follow-up too. Ask whether there might be follow-up procedures possible if you are not happy with the initial results.

How often is the microkeratome incisor changed?

The microkeratome is a surgical instrument which cuts the little corneal flap so that the laser can work on the next layer down, the stroma. The incisor should be fresh for every patient. There are some ?LASIK factories?, which process large numbers of patients as quickly as they can, and keep costs down in many ways, so as to make a bigger profit. Re-using the incisor is sometimes a way of keeping costs down.

What financing plans do you offer?

Although we warned you away from cost questions at the beginning of this article, of course you need to ask about it. Just don?t make cost your decisive factor in choosing the surgeon. Most LASIK surgeons offer several ways of financing the procedure, so choose one with a plan that fits your budget and timeframe. Remember that in the long run, you?ll be glad you paid for quality work.

Most people would have the misconception that eye lasik is a cure to short-sighted or long-sighted problems. The fact is eye lasik surgery is designed to improve the vision of the person under-going the surgery. It is not intended to give you super sharp vision or extreme clear focus. The expectation need to be correct. Many athletes with minor short-sighted eye problem would opt for eye lasik surgery. Now you might ask, why do they do so?

The number one reason is improve on their current performance with the sport they are in. Take for example Tiger Woods, the professional golfer, with severe shor-sightedness and need to wear contacts lens for each of his game. He is always concern about the weather condition like windy or rainy day which can affects his judgement.After his lasik eye surgery, he claim to experience an improvement in viewing the holes on the green. And until now he is still happy with his vision. Many golfers would agree to opt for this eye cosmetic treatment which ultimately can potentially helps in their overall scoring.

Another great benefit to the sportsman is that they not longer need to wear their contact lenses or vision aid device during their training. This would mean one less worry for them. Especially for swimmers, they no longer need to wear degree fitted googel,specticle or sunglasses. The cost in saving can be alot over a period of a few years.

An interesting finding shows that footballers, golfers, basketball players and hockey players are among the top group of people who opt to have an eye lasik surgery. This is followed by divers and swimmers.

With the in-born talent and training, athletes should be able to excel in the sports that they love. Althletes should not be put down by the problem of poor eye sight which hinder the growth of their career as a sportsman. Perhaps the biggest obsticle to the althlete is the risk involved. However, with the advancement of technology in eye lasik surgery operation, the risk factors would no longer be of concern.

When it comes to eye impairments, there are many concerns. The eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of the body, which means that even a little, tiny mistake may put total vision at risk . With so many doubts, worries and frustration, Lasik vision correction surgery appears to be the number one choice of thousands of people who have any sort of vision impairment. This is because of the safety involved in the procedure plus the benefits. What could please people more than combining safety with benefits?

This surgery is safe due to the unique type of laser used: the excimer. This special light was designed exclusively to be used in Lasik surgery, offering no risk to people who undergo the procedure.

Lasik surgery is declared to be the best and the highest technology procedure to correct vision impairments.

Lasik Procedure

The Lasik procedure is really simple. It’s so simple that people who undergo this surgery are able to get back to work the next day. There is no need to stay at home and spend those boring days - as doctors like to say - recovering. The idea lies in the fact that all vision impairment has to do with irregularity around the cornea. Due to this, the procedure consists of cutting away the bad tissue surrounding the cornea and reshaping the cornea, which corrects your vision. The surgery is performed with the patient awake. However, the patient will be given some mild sedative in order to keep the body relaxed and anesthetic eye drops. The surgeon operates the laser and a computer system tracks 4000 times per second the patient’s eye position and simply redirects the laser pulses for precise placement.

One day after undergoing the procedure, the person feels a significant improvement in the vision.

Lasik Complications

It’s not common, but Lasik surgery can have some complications. Although it is the safest and most technological method to correct vision impairments, some complications are not overruled.

The most common situations are:

- dry eyes
- over/undercorrection
- visual acuity fluctuation
- light sensitivity
- double vision
- decentered ablation

There are some others, but when complications happen, these are the most frequent.

Lasik Benefits

People sometimes are afraid to undergo Lasik surgery in order to correct their vision because, most of the time, they are not aware of what exactly the benefits are. Here, it’s important to make clear that although complications may occur, they are rare and the benefits are worth taking the risk. Besides, studies show that less than 5% of people who undergo this procedure experience complications.

The most interesting benefits are:

- elimination of the need for glasses
- the discomfort felt with the use of lenses will be gone
- the quality of vision will be increased
- people will be able to pass a driver’s test without glasses.

About the Author

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Lasik

The laser known as the excimer is categorized as an ultraviolet chemical laser. This type of laser is widely used in laser surgery. It was initially used to make semiconductors during the 1970s, but later moved into the realm of eye surgery. Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasin, along with his team of researchers, realized how effective the excimer laser could be in working with biological tissue. Another doctor, an ophthalmologist named Dr. Steven Trokel, was instrumental in explaining the way it could be used to work on corneal tissue. Thus, LASIK eye surgery was born.

While a few different kinds of lasers exist, the excimer laser is usually chosen for corrective eye surgery. The reason for this is that it is the most advanced technologically of the lasers in existence. It’s known as a “cool” laser, meaning it can remove a specific part of the corneal tissue while avoiding damage to other tissues next to it. Incredibly, the excimer has the precision to cut away one-half percent of the width of a human hair. This is proof enough that this laser is no mere gimmick, but rather a real technological breakthrough.

Computer technology, coupled with the precise ability of this laser, has made LASIK surgery emerge as the most popular choice for people with refractive error. It is operated by a technician who focuses the tiny, cool laser beams to incise the corneal surface, while the surgery itself is performed by an ophthalmologist. The procedure is done with extensive safeguards, and great care is taken. The combination of specialists ensures that the treatment is both highly effective, and safe.

Eyesight is surely the most treasured of our five senses. After all, your eyes provide a window to our world. That’s why it’s so important to get the right kind of surgery using the most precise instruments, and with a minimum of side effects. LASIK surgery can offer you just that. It’s a technological marvel that will perform operations precisely and reliably. That’s why it has gained a foothold as the most common form of corrective eye surgery.

About the Author

Sarah Thomas provides articles on health and wellness. You can find more of her work at the sites back-pain-sos.com and lasik-central.com.

Lasik eye surgery has been big news on the vision front. With many people flocking to have the procedure done it has become one of the most popular eye surgeries. The idea that lasik is a solution for anyone with bad vision also proves that much is unknown about lasik. Before committing to the surgery patients should look into what lasik is and what it can do for vision.

Lasik stands for laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. Lasik is where the surgeon cuts a small flap in the cornea and then uses a laser to reshape the inner area of the cornea. The cornea can be related to many vision issues. Myopia (nearsightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness), and Astigmatism can all be solved through lasik eye surgery.

Before getting lasik a patient is examined by their eye doctor. During the examination pictures of the cornea will be taken to see what corrections need to be made. The overall health of the patient and patient?s eyes are also considered when deciding if a person is a good lasik candidate. Any conditions, such as dry eye syndrome, may affect a persons ability to get lasik.

After lasik the patient can go home and within a few days is usually recovered enough to resume daily routine activities. Most people experience success and will see clearly right after the surgery. Some people may experience side effects like night time vision problems and light sensitivity. Rare side effects like infection can also occur, but most often can be avoided by following doctors orders.

Lasik is a fairly new procedure and long term data has not been studied. Some people do require the use of reading glasses as they age even though they have received lasik and achieved good results. The patient should discuss all concerns and expectations with their surgeon before the lasik procedure to ensure they completely understand the process and outcome possibilities.

Lasik eye surgery has been big news on the vision front. With many people flocking to have the procedure done it has become one of the most popular eye surgeries. The idea that lasik is a solution for anyone with bad vision also proves that much is unknown about lasik. Before committing to the surgery patients should look into what lasik is and what it can do for vision.

Lasik stands for laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. Lasik is where the surgeon cuts a small flap in the cornea and then uses a laser to reshape the inner area of the cornea. The cornea can be related to many vision issues. Myopia (nearsightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness), and Astigmatism can all be solved through lasik eye surgery.

Before getting lasik a patient is examined by their eye doctor. During the examination pictures of the cornea will be taken to see what corrections need to be made. The overall health of the patient and patient?s eyes are also considered when deciding if a person is a good lasik candidate. Any conditions, such as dry eye syndrome, may affect a persons ability to get lasik.

After lasik the patient can go home and within a few days is usually recovered enough to resume daily routine activities. Most people experience success and will see clearly right after the surgery. Some people may experience side effects like night time vision problems and light sensitivity. Rare side effects like infection can also occur, but most often can be avoided by following doctors orders.

Lasik is a fairly new procedure and long term data has not been studied. Some people do require the use of reading glasses as they age even though they have received lasik and achieved good results. The patient should discuss all concerns and expectations with their surgeon before the lasik procedure to ensure they completely understand the process and outcome possibilities.

Wavefront technology is not only used in wavefront lasik eye surgery itself, but also in the initial diagnosis. This diagnosis produces a 3-D map that can be used to guide the laser extremely accurately when the actual surgery is carried out.

Studies that compare wavefront-guided lasik to conventional lasik have shown that a higher percentage of those undergoing wavefront guided lasik eye surgery achieve 20/20 vision without the aid of glasses or contact lenses compared to those treated without the assistance of wavefront technology.

And perhaps just as important, with wavefront technology there is less chance of suffering from problems such as a loss of visual quality, a loss of contrast sensitivity and problems connected with night vision.

All eyes have some sort of imperfection, called an aberration. It is the degree of aberration that matters.

Lower-order aberrations are the ones you hear about most often - myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.

There are also higher-order aberrations, which account for about 15% of eye problems, and have exotic names such as coma, spherical aberration and trefoil. These aberrations cause problems that can include difficulty seeing at night, halos, issues with glare and blurred vision, and account for about 15% of eye problems.

Simply put, lower order aberration determine how much you see, while higher order aberrations determine how well you see.

Unfortunately, ordinary lasik surgery increases the chance of higher order aberrations. With wavefront lasik eye surgery, however, while higher order aberrations still increase they do so to a lesser degree than with conventional lasik.

What is Wavefront Technology?

Wavefront technology is a system that collects information about the eye from hundreds of separate points over the central 6 millimetre area of the cornea. This creates a unique ?map? that is specific to the eye being measured.

This information can then be linked to the laser to enable a completely customised and very accurate surgical procedure.

A further advantage is that wavefront can help identify patients who are not good candidates for Lasik surgery. Lasik surgery is certainly not for everyone; it can in fact worsen existing visual problems, so the initial diagnosis is crucial.

What is a wavefront?

Wavefront technology has been used by astronomers for many years, but the first wavefront mapping of the eye was done in 1994. Towards the end of 2002 the Food & Drug Administration approved the Custom Cornea Wavefront Lasik.

In essence, a bundle of light rays enters the eye. When the light enters the cornea, the very front of those light rays is perfectly flat - like a sheet of paper. In a perfect eye, the light will be reflected back and exit still flat.

But of course, the light passes through an imperfect crystalline lens and so is distorted when it emerges. It is this distortion that creates the “map” that tells the specialist what problems exist within the eye, how they can best be corrected, and provides the information is used to create the prescription that will be used to reshape the cornea.

How is Wavefront Technology Used?

When an eye specialist uses a conventional instrument called a phoropter, he changes the lenses and then asks the patient which lens produces the best image. This process is subject to subjective feedback (what the patient thinks he is seeing as opposed to what he is really seeing) and can only detect two eye abnormalities, these being cylindrical and spherical.

The cylindrical one causes astigmatism, while a spherical abnormality results in myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).

Wavefront technology, on the other hand, is much more accurate, measures many more points, and can detect an infinite number of aberrations.

There are limitation to the use of wavefront lasik eye surgery. If you are too myopic or too hyperopic, or have too much astigmatism, you will probably not be a candidate.

Thin corneas will be a problem, while having abnormally-large pupils may increase the risk of ending up with poor vision at night.

There is also the issue of cost. Most, if not all, doctors charge more for wavefront lasik eye surgery than for conventional. As a rough guide, expect to pay about $3000 and up per eye.

In summary - wavefront technology offers precise and individualized prescriptions for Lasik eye surgery patients. If you meet the requirements, it also offers an increased probability that the resultant wavefront lasik eye surgery will provide a successful outcome with fewer side effects.

About the Author:

You’ll find more lasik information at Darrell van Zyl’s site, http://www.lasikeyesurgeryanswers.com

Fortunately, the great majority of patients do not regress after LASIK surgery. The curvature of the cornea should remain reasonably stable shortly after the first few months. Using computerized topography to map the cornea shows us that most LASIK patients achieve a stable refraction within the first three months after surgery. However, some patients with high myopia, may require up to six months or longer to stabilize.

Patients who do experience a drop in the effectiveness of the procedure usually were severely myopic before surgery. Doctors are still puzzled as to why these patients occasionally regress. The best that can be surmised is that the problem is most likely related to the depth of the laser ablation, and the healing process. The more laser treatment necessary, the more remodeling necessary by the stroma or middle layer of the cornea. This remodeling takes place during the first couple of years after surgery. Also, the epithelium may regrow a little thicker over the lasered area, especially in highly myopic patients. In order to overcome large amounts of nearsightedness, the laser must make a deeper ablation. The deeper the laser treatment, the more the body will attempt to fill in the surgical depression, or “divot,” with new epithelium. In highly myopic patients, this natural healing response may contribute to slight-to-moderate post-surgical regression.

LASIK surgery will neither slow down, or speed up the normal progression of nearsightedness. As a result of this, some myopic patients naturally continue to get a little more nearsighted throughout their life. Even though the corneal curvature is stable, should the eyeball become slightly longer, or if the crystalline lens begins to develop a cataract, the person will become more myopic . No matter how much the natural progression of near-sightedness progresses over time, patients still should have better vision without glasses after LASIK surgery.

For example, consider a thirty-year-old man with -7 diopters of myopia. With or without surgery, he may naturally develop another diopter of refractive error over a five-year period. Without the surgery, his correction would now be -8 diopters (severe myopia). However, let’s say he had LASIK surgery at thirty years old, and his correction was reduced to -1 diopter (mild myopia). The five years pass and his eyeball naturally elongates so that his refractive error increases to -2 diopters. This is much better than the -8 severe myopia that would occur without LASIK surgery.

Scientists have noticed, and it does make obvious sense, that people doing large volumes of close work tend to be more myopic. People who work outdoors, such as construction workers, who must focus in the distance are less likely to be severely myopic. As you may know, when you have to focus on a near object, your eyes will converge. Having been pulled inward during years of reading, there is a good chance your eyeball could become slightly longer. The slightest increase of only 1 millimeter in the length of the eyeball can increase myopia by up to 3 diopters. Think of it like this; when you squeeze a tennis ball and quickly let it go, it will pop right back to its original shape. Should you squeeze the tennis ball sixteen hours a day for ten years, it is not unreasonable to expect that the tennis ball’s shape could elongate slightly.

Investigate the benefits of LASIK surgery carefully to fully understand the chances of regression.

Copyright 2006 Carl DiNello

Most people have no trouble with their vision correction surgery. Less than 1% of people who have this type of surgery done actually experience any side effects. It is done on an outpatient basis and most people can return to work and to their usual activities the day after surgery. As with any surgery, there is always the risk of side effects. One of the possible Lasik complications is having chronic dry eyes after Lasik surgery. This is the most common complaint of patients who have had eye surgery. The reason for this is that vision correction surgery reduces the amount of lubrication that a patients eyes normally receive.

Dry eye problems can run the spectrum from less serious to more serious. A patient can experience itching, redness, and even pain after vision correction surgery. For some the problem is minor and can be solved with artificial teardrops or other types of drops or topical treatments for the eyes. Other people find that taking flax seed oil caplets helps, and that using a humidifier in their home also relieves that dry, scratchy feeling. For many patients, their eyes return to their normal or near normal lubrication levels in the weeks and months following their eye surgery.

If the dry eye problem is more serious, a tiny plug can be inserted that prevents tears from going to the nose and therefore allows for more lubrication in the eye. This plug can be removed in the future if the dry eye problem is resolved.

The best way to avoid any Lasik complications or side effects is to choose your ophthalmologist wisely. Make sure that they have the proper credentials and have done a large number of successful vision correction surgeries. Do not be swayed by discount offers on Lasik that seem too good to be true. You should always have a consultation with your surgeon prior to having any kind of surgery. A good surgeon will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for this type of surgery, and will let you know if you would not benefit from Lasik. An experienced ophthalmologist will also be able to help you if you do experience dry eyes after Lasik surgery, they will be able to help you deal with the problem and lessen your discomfort until the problem is resolved. To get quality vision correction surgery, you need to be willing to pay a competitive price for it and do your homework when choosing a doctor.

About the author:
Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects of Lasik Eye Surgery
Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.eyesurgeryreview.info